For You
by Minna-sama
Summary: A loving father and loyal commander dies in the hands of Arkarium and entrusts his favourite soldier the task of taking care of his daughter. Rated T for language and slight gore in later chapters. R&R...PLEEEASE?
1. Chapter 1

_The little blonde stared at her father's sad face, her vice-like grip on the hem of his shirt. "You'll be coming back very soon...won't you, daddy?" She asked in an eerie almost threatening tone. _

_"Of course daddy will be coming back." The aging man sighed and ruffled his daughter's light blond hair, "After the war is over and daddy's done kicking some Black Mage's commander's ass, I will return." _

_There was silence. And then, the eleven-year-old stifled on a sob, knowing very well that the fact he would return was a lie, "Please don't go, daddy. It's dangerous! I might…never see you again!" _

"_I don't want to part with you either, Mina," He said flatly. The girl's eyes lit up but returned to their depressed state as he continued, "But this is something I have to do. I, as commander of the Light, have to serve my part." _

_That was it. The poor girl began crying her heart out there and then. Her loving father embraced her one last time and stood at the door. She already knew it. She already had a feeling that she wouldn't be seeing her father again. _

_He stood by the door, sunlight shining upon him. He looked almost like a hero. "This is goodbye, my love." He managed to blurt in a cracking voice, "If I don't return, I will send someone to take care of you. Just know that…you'll always be my favourite daughter." And with that, he ran off into the forest._

_The broken girl screamed as tears endlessly flowed down her pale cheeks._

"_DADDYYYYYYYYYYYYY!" _

* * *

_Commander Juno Connors stormed into the Resistance Headquarters, dragging his heavy boots as he walked. A cloud of depression hung above his head. Everyone who was busy at work there stood up straight and saluted once they noticed him. "Good day to you all as well. Ready to fight and WIN?" The commander boomed._

"_YES, SIR." Everyone cheered in unison and grabbed their weapons and shields. "That's the spirit, " The slightly satisfied blond man smirked, "TO THE VERNE MINES!" _

_The men charged towards the mines at the outskirts of Edelstein, led by their commander. The man stayed silent throughout the whole journey as thoughts of his lovely daughter he was once so proud of floated into his mind. He couldn't help but frown._

_Just then, a young fourteen-year-old ran up to his side to walk with him. "Good morning, Sir." The boy greeted politely, trying to put on the most cheerful look he could. Though it was obvious he was as nervous and afraid as the rest of them. _

"_Good morning, Zaku." The commander greeted back, playing along as well, putting on the most cheerful look he could. _

"_So…Sir…do you think we'll be able to beat Arkarium?" Zaku asked, nervousness dripping from every word he uttered. _

"_It's hard, but possible." Was all the commander replied. He didn't want to think about dying. He didn't want to think about leaving his daughter behind. _

"_Okay." Zaku mumbled. _

_The rest of the journey was filled with silence. The soldiers were too nervous and terrified to speak. They finally reached the entrance of the mines in 20 minutes. All of them hid behind trees and eyed the bunny in the Black Wings hat, the caretaker of the mines._

"_I'll take care of him." One of the soldiers whispered. The said man quietly knelt onto the ground and brought out a gun from his holster. It took him 3 short seconds to aim the weapon at the bunny and shoot him dead. _

"_Good job, Gerald." Another soldier commented and patted the Corsair on the back. _

"_I'll give us all another 10 minutes to sit here and rest." The commander said and everyone nodded in agreement. The soldiers sat about by the trees, spread out with death written on their faces. Zaku sat next to his commander._

"_Are you scared, Zaku?" The commander asked in a gentle voice. "N-Not at all, Sir." The young Battle Mage denied. _

"_You know…you'll feel better if you let out your fear." The man sighed and looked at the boy again. _

"_I-I'm…not…scared." Zaku denied yet again. _

_The man hardened his stare on the boy, "MUCH better." _

_The boy looked up at his commander with teary eyes, "O-Okay. I'm scared. I'm very scared." _

"_There. I just wanted you to let it out and feel less nervous." The commander said, "Well do you?"_

_Zaku ignored his question and came up with a question of his own. "Do you think we'll be able to make it out alive, Sir?" He gulped._

"_You will, but I'm not so sure about myself." _

"…_W-Why?" Zaku stared at the blond man in disbelief, "Don't tell me…you're going to do something extremely risky!" _

"_No. If something goes wrong, I'll get the soldiers to get you out of the mines." The commander said, "But I will stay. I will stay to fight until the end, whether he defeats me or I defeat him." _

"_But…you might DIE, Sir!" The boy cried out, tears streaming down his face._

"_That very day I joined the Resistance, I had agreed to this." _

* * *

"_COMMANDER!" The soldiers shrieked in shock as they watched the leader they had been loyal to since the beginning drop to the ground, a fatal slash wound across his abdomen. Arkarium cackled loudly at his achievement and snarled in a booming voice, "NONE OF YOU HERE SHALL DEFEAT ME." _

"_SIR! SIR! COMMANDER CONNORS!" Zaku cried out as she rushed to his commander's side. "Z…Zaku…you have been…a great soldier." The commander struggled upon his words. "Commander! You can't…you can't do this to me!" Zaku widened his teary eyes in shock, "You were like a father to me! Ever since my parents passed away! Father!" _

"_That's a…good boy." The dying man said as he coughed up blood. Blood oozed out from his wound and formed a red puddle around his limp body._

"_N-No…" Zaku mumbled, "Y-You're not going to die, Sir…not now…not anytime soon. A-A Bishop's going to come and heal you!" _

"_Silly child…there is NO Bishop in the Resistance." The commander smiled a sad dying smile. Zaku's hopes were crushed when he realized that his commander was right. _

_He was about to blabber further when a loud roar came from behind his back. He turned around only to find Arkarium a few feet away from him, a bolt of lightning in his hands, ready to strike at him and his commander. _

_Without thinking, the boy stood up on his shaking legs and gripped his Blue Marine staff tightly. He was about to attack the wretched Black Mage's Commander when he heard his own commander yell, "BRING THE BOY TO SAFETY! ALL OF YOU, ESCAPE THE MINES!" _

_The boy turned to stare at the blond man in horror when a soldier ran towards him and carried his small form over his shoulder. "LET GO OF ME!" Zaku screamed, "I WANT TO SAVE THE COMMANDER! LET GO!" _

_The soldiers ran towards the exit of the mines and disappeared through the portal one by one. As Zaku and the soldier carrying him were about to be engulfed by the light of the portal, he could see the confident smile on his commander's face as he uttered to the Battle Mage his last words, "Take care of Mina…" _

_And with that, they disappeared. Zaku's eyes were wide with trauma. He opened his mouth to say something but all that came out was a croak. He dropped to the ground on his knees and started playing with the sand like a psychopath._

_First, there was silence and panting. Then, there was an explosion. The soldiers stared at the mines with sad eyes. They knew their commander was gone. One by one, they all stood up straight, facing the mines, and saluted. _

_Zaku, the one who was most affected, stood up as well and swayed on his feet. He then raised a shaky hand to his head and formed a small salute. 'Goodbye, Commander.' He said in his head before tears spilled out from his eyes. _

* * *

_The soldiers gathered back at the Resistance Headquarters in silence. "How did it go?" Checky asked them, but only received silence as a reply. He then realized that Commander Connors was nowhere to be seen. He understood full well what had happened and lowered his head in loss. _

_The rest of the soldiers were pretty much over the incident already and were talking normally to each other. Only Zaku stayed fearful and shaking in a corner. Checky walked towards the poor boy and put an arm on his shoulder. "I'm sorry for your loss." The man said._

_Zaku only nodded and continued shaking terribly, his eyes wide as ever. The man in the bear hat sat down next to the Battle Mage to endure the pain with him. After a while, the boy could finally speak. "H-H-He…asked me to…protect…M-Mina…" Zaku stammered, "A-And…I will do…a-anything h-he…asked me to…I will…will fulfil…his w-wishes." _

_Checky looked at the boy, "He must trust you a lot to let you take care of his precious daughter." "H-His…daughter…" Zaku repeated after the Mechanic job instructor and started nodding his head. _

"_I know you're sad, but you have to move on." Checky urged the boy. He continued nodding._

"_And since…he trusts you so much…I think you're the one he wants to make the new commander." Checky said out loud, making the soldier turn to look at him in surprise. The job instructor stood up and saluted to the young boy,_

"_COMMANDER ZAKU KUDOS." _

_There was silence for a few seconds, Zaku could almost hear a pin drop. He stared up at the man, even more surprised than the other soldiers. He had stopped shaking and froze instead. One by one, the soldier stood up to salute him, just as they did at the mines. "SIR." All of them said in unison._

_Slowly, Zaku stood up and saluted them back. "For the commander…I will do anything." _

* * *

"_We're sorry, Miss Mina, but…" Checky gulped and couldn't bring himself to tell the eleven-year-old what exactly happened to her father. _

"_But WHAT?!" Mina cried out, cupping her cheeks with her small pale hands, "BUT WHAT? Just…tell me what happened to my father!" _

"_Y-Your father…" Checky tried again, and again failed miserably. _

"_I'm sorry for your loss." Zaku stepped forward next to the job instructor and told the girl straight in her face. _

_She gasped and dropped to the ground on her knees, soiling her pretty pink dress. "N-No…y-you're lying…daddy isn't dead…daddy won't die…he promised me…he would come back…" Mina sobbed quietly and tugged at her blond locks, "Daddy wouldn't…daddy wouldn't…DADDY WOULDN'T!" _

_Her quiet sobs turned into loud cries and manic screams. "HE WOULDN'T! DO THIS! TO ME!" She screamed and hit her fists against the floor until they bled. _

_Sweat and tears covered her once clean and beautiful face. "You HAVE to move on." Zaku told her sternly, but that made no change to her current state. She continued wailing and crying._

"_He has ordered me to look after you. So from now on, I'm your bodyguard." The Battle Mage said again, but the girl obviously wasn't listening. She cried and screamed and wailed, until all her energy was drained and she fainted. _

_Zaku knelt down to carry her in his arms. _

'_I will not fail you, Commander. I will carry out your every order.' _

* * *

_There ya go. First chapter…IS A FAILURE! Sorry if it's kind of short or if it doesn't make much sense or anything. Basically, this is the beginning of a romance/adventure story. The first chapter is about the past and how it all came to be (that's why the whole chapter's in italics). R&R…please? _


	2. Chapter 2

"Zaku!" fourteen-year-old Mina ran towards the green-haired boy and tackled him in a hug, "I found you!" The surprised boy spun around to face his attacker and smiled when he realized who it was.

"Why, hello, Mina." He chuckled, "Are you ready to go yet?"

"Of course! Let's!" Mina giggled as the Battle Mage grabbed her small hand and led her towards said place.

The young girl placed a bouquet of beautiful white roses, her father's favourite type of flower, upon a tombstone. She stepped back right after she did and clasped her hands together to say a silent prayer.

Zaku stood beside her, saying a prayer of his own for his deceased commander. Mina made a sign of the cross and brought her hands down to her sides. She fiddled with the material of her white cotton dress.

"It's been 3 years, hasn't it?" The now grown up girl smiled to herself and sighed.

"Yes it has." Zaku simply replied and went back to being silent.

"He was the only one I had." She said softly.

"Pardon?"

"Father was the only one I had back then. That was why I was so afraid of losing him." She repeated.

"Oh…" Zaku blurted, not knowing what else he could say.

"But," Mina added with a genuine cheerful smile, "Lucky for me, I met you! You're kind, fun to play with and cool, just like my father."

The boy lightly smiled to himself in satisfaction and pride. He turned to look away from the girl as to hide his red face.

Before she could say anything further, Zaku interrupted, "It's getting late. Let's leave before it gets dark."

Mina looked up at the orangey-red sky that was already turning dark blue. Puzzled, she thought that it was too dark for 7 o' clock, but then again, winter was just around the corner and the days ended faster.

She kept her thoughts to herself, and instead nodded and took her friend's hand. They both walked out of the cemetery in a cloud of nostalgia. Before the silence could kill her, Mina began with her usual blabbering, "What shall we have for dinner, Zaku?"

"Hmm…anything you like." The quiet Battle Mage shrugged. Honestly, he didn't care. As long as there was food on the table.

Mina put on a thinker's pose and was drowned in her thoughts for a few seconds before exclaiming out loud, "Ahah! How does pasta sound?"

"Sounds good to me." Zaku mumbled as the girl clapped her hands and giggled. Then, she grabbed his hand and started running back to their house so fast, Zaku was almost being dragged behind.

"We'd better hurry then!" She yelled while running and dragging the unamused boy, "I'm hungry!"

* * *

"Zaku, could you please pass me those carrots on the cabinet?" The girl asked, gesturing toward the 3 baby carrots, both her hands full with a ladle in one and an onion in the other. "Sure." Zaku lazily replied as he passed her the carrots obediently.

"Thank you." Mina smiled as she threw the carrots into the tomato broth-filled pot. She stirred it a bit more and then tossed the onion she was holding in.

"Uhmm…shouldn't you have diced the onion or something first?" Zaku asked, furrowing his green eyebrows. The moment he had said that, the girl gasped and clasped her hands over her mouth.

"OH, MY!" She exclaimed and began to squeal, "I forgot! How could I forget about something like that?! Stupid…stupid…" She started hitting herself on the forehead with her balled-up fists.

"H-Hey, stop doing that. It's fine. It's not like I mind or anything." Zaku stuttered as he ripped her hands away from her forehead and held them in his.

"R-Really?" Mina squeaked, embarrassed, as she tried to pull her hands away from his strong grasp.

"Yeah." The Battle Mage shrugged and let go of her small pale hands, "Go ahead and continue cooking."

The red-faced girl nodded and quickly shifted her attention to the broth. Zaku walked out of the kitchen and sank into the living room couch as he waited for dinner to be ready. They have been living a simple and comfortable life like this for 3 long years. He was pretty much her bodyguard and friend.

The boy glanced over to the table right next to the couch and eyed the averagely thick book that was lying atop it. He made a grab for it and scanned the book cover. He then simply flipped through the pages, inhaling the fragrance of the paper.

"Dinner's ready." He was cut short from his actions by Mina's voice. He placed the book back on its original spot and walked towards the small dining table that had just enough space for the two of them.

He silently sat down in his seat as the smiling girl placed a large pasta-filled plate in front of him. "Thank you." He muttered. Mina giggled.

He was about to jab his fork into the pasta when the girl slammed her hands on the table. "What is it?" Zaku asked, annoyed. "Prayer before meals." Mina scolded as she clasped her hands together and grew silent. The hungry Zaku sighed and clasped his hands together as well, copying Mina.

After a good 2-minute prayer, they began eating.

"That was a good dinner." Zaku commented as he sat down on the couch beside Mina. The girl shot him a toothy smile and cuddled next to him.

"Thank, Zaku!" She nodded, nuzzling his arm. The astonished boy turned a light shade of red and gently shook her off before getting up. "It's late. Why don't we go to bed," He said, "Goodnight, Mina."

The disappointed girl watched him walk towards his room and shut the door behind him. Mina sighed and got up as well. Then, she walked towards HER room and closed the door.

* * *

The next day…

"Zaku! Stop staring at me like that, you pedobear!" Mina yelled as she swung her dragon staff in the Battle Mage's direction. He effortlessly dodged it, causing the outraged girl to get dragged along to the ground by her heavy staff.

"I'm only staring at you because I want to see whether the way you're holding that staff is correct." Zaku pointed out with a blank expression on his face, "And I'm NOT a pedobear."

"W-Well…" Mina pouted, still on the ground and defeated, "Y-You were creeping me out. That's all."

The Battle Mage sighed and pulled the girl back onto her feet and sighed, ruffling his hair. "Let's continue where we left off, shall we?" He said flatly.

"Uhmm…where were we again?" The girl scratched the back of her head cluelessly before giggling.

"I was about to have a duel with you." Zaku mentally face-palmed himself, but kept on a blank exterior. "Oh, yeah!" Mina burst out as she grabbed her staff, "But that's unfair! You're much more advanced and higher levelled than I am! You're obviously going to beat me."

"I'll go easy on you, okay?" Zaku assured her, "I won't use my fourth job skills. Fair enough?"

The girl thought for a while and finally nodded confidently. The two stood quite a distance away from each other in the vast park clearing, both buffed with readied staffs. "GO." Zaku commanded as she dashed towards the already nervous girl.

He fiercely lashed out at her with Dark Shock. The girl barely dodged the bolt of dark lightning and landed on the ground on her bum. She quickly got up as Zaku attacked her with Quintuple Blow. She teleported a few feet away from the more advanced Battle Mage and countered his attacks with a Dark Shock of her own.

Zaku easily dodged the attack and teleported right next to his friend. She gasped in surprise and before she could teleport away to safety, she was pulled towards him by a Dark Chain. It didn't deal any damage but slightly electrocuted her.

"Z-ZAKU!" She yelled, breaking free of the chain with all her might. "Sorry." He simply apologized before lashing out at her with his staff again.

"Z-Zaku, I'm tired already!" Mina cried out in exhaustion while dodging his attacks, "When does this duel end?!"

"When you finally manage to at least scratch me." He replied, not pausing his attacks at all.

"WHAT?!" Mina squealed incredulously, but was cut off when she got hit in the chest by another one of Zaku's strong Dark Shocks. The impact made her fall backwards onto the grass on her back.

Zaku blew the head of his staff, causing bits of smoke to escape from it. Mina slowly attempted to sit up but fell back onto the ground. She gently grabbed her chest and a squeak escaped her. The pain was excruciating.

The fourth jobber Battle Mage trotted towards his defeated friend and crouched down by her side. He pulled her up into a sitting position and placed a hand on her back for support. "The duel's not over yet, you know?" He smirked, "You haven't even planted a scratch on me. Get up and continue it when you're feeling better."

Before he could blabber further, the girl whacked him hard on the head with her metal staff. "OWW!" Zaku yelled as he lost his balance and fell onto the grass on his back. Mina fell back as well due to lack of support.

"Stupid girl! What was that for?!" He screamed, rubbing his injured head, "Damn! Now look! I'm bleeding."

"Don't yell at me. Thank me instead. I just ended the duel." Mina giggled and crawled next to the boy to lie down beside him.

"Ah, you- damn it." Zaku grumbled as he turned away from her, red-faced from embarrassment. Mina giggled again and finally managed to sit up on her own.

"There, there. I promise I'll nurse your head once we get home, okay?" She smiled gently, placing her hand atop his injured head to rub it. Zaku blushed even more, wanting to turn his face away to hide the redness, but he did not. If he did, she would pull her hand away.

"I-I'm fine. I'm not a child." The stubborn Battle Mage grunted as he sat up and eventually stood up, "Come on, let's go home already."

Mina laughed and snorted, "You're just impatient to go home because you want me to nurse you. If you deny it, it means it's true."

"Of course not, dummy. Why would I be so impatient for that?" Zaku sniffed, refusing to give in.

"See? You denied it. Admit it, you dumbass."

"No, I'm not going to. And that's because it isn't true."

"You can't resist me. Don't deny that!"

_Alright! Second chapter: DONE. Sorry if it's a bit too fluffy and weird. I'm not the pro-est in these things but I just decided to make one. R&R please! :D_


End file.
